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Motorola Milestone to get Android 2.2 in Europe and Korea in late Q4, Dext 2.1 upgrade looking bleak
Until now, Milestone owners could do nothing but to envy Droid users rocking the Froyo upgrade; however, according to Motorola's recently published timeline, the former device is now slated for the same dessert party in Europe and Korea in Q4 -- specifically, "beginning at the end of this year," which could well mean the majority of users won't get the update until 2011 (!). Meanwhile, said upgrade is still "under evaluation" for Canada, Latin America, Mexico and Asia-Pacific sans Korea. But here's the real heartbreaking news from the same chart: unlike their American counterparts, the Dext and Backflip will not be getting an Eclair update in Europe, Latin American and Mexico, while Canada and Asia-Pacific still have a glimpse of hope. Sure, it's not like Motorola's earlier timeline laid any concrete details for the European Dext, but there was definitely a date for the Latin America flavor. What concerns us the most is that back in January, Motorola did make a promise -- which has since been deleted but forever cached by Google -- to its European fans on Facebook: "[the] Dext will get the Android 2.1 upgrade as well." We have the full shameful statement after the break. In case you still care, other devices mentioned in the timeline include the US-only Devour (no 2.1 update), Cliq XT / Quench (2.1 in late Q3 / early Q4; under evaluation for Canada and Asia-Pacific), Droid X (Froyo upgrade in late summer, which we knew), Motoroi and Titanium (2.2 in Q4 in Korea for both). If you're still mourning over the canned update for your Dext, let us remind you that there's no stopping you from updating your Android slider manually; alternatively, there's no harm in sending Sanjay a nice postcard, either. [Thanks to everyone who sent this in] Update: Miraculously, the offending Facebook status link is now back online...
T-Mobile-flavored Motorola MB710 gets FCC approval
You might remember that we'd thought all the way back in January that T-Mobile's version of the MOTOROI / Milestone XT720 had gotten its FCC certification. Well, guess what happened this week? The all-important external photos and users' manual came off confidentiality, which means we can now confirm that a MOTOROI is exactly what we're looking at here. It's unclear what's taking so long for T-Mobile to get this thing to retail since it was apparently ready (or ready-ish) more than half a year ago, but with an 8 megapixel camera on board, we suspect more than a few people will be willing to forgive the awkward bump in the lower right for a chance to get in on what could be one of T-Mobile's first legit high-end Android devices. With any luck, we'll see a release before too long -- but as with any unannounced phone, it's a crap shoot.
Motorola Motoroi getting Android 2.1, bound for UK?
There's no word yet on when the Motorola Motoroi will make it to T-Mobile (in the industry we call that "the T-Motoroiola rumor") but there has definitely been a good deal of chatter concerning this handset. The latest has Pocket-lint confirming a UK release with Moto itself. Offering similarities to Taipei's HSPA-lovin' XT701, users in Ol' Blighty (and the rest of the UK) can look forward to an 8-megapixel camera (with a Xenon flash), support for 720p video, mini HDMI, and an unspecified processor boost. In addition, Android 2.1 is likely to be part of the deal. We have neither a timeline nor a price, and the veracity of this rumor is yet to be established (although it does seem like a no-brainer), but if this all goes down as Pocket-lint says it will you can color us Yanks mighty jealous.
Editorial: What happened to the US-spec Motorola MOTOROI?
Motorola, in case you haven't noticed, hasn't done much in the way of high-spec gear since the announcement of the original Droid way back in October of last year -- and, well, that's a problem for a company that's in the midst of trying to kick-start a recovery to get its corporate split off on the right foot. The so-called Sholes Tablet -- alternatively known as the XT720 or the MOTOROI -- had seemed destined to become Moto's next volley thanks to comments by SK Telecom and Motorola execs at the phone's Korean launch, even going so far as to call out a March launch window, but March has come and gone and the phone is nowhere to be found. Heck, we even found FCC evidence that the phone would be hitching up with T-Mobile, but that was way back in January and we're on the cusp of Summer now. We understand that delays happen in this business -- in fact, delays always happen -- but these protracted, phased roll-outs around the globe are never good for a product's image since the last markets to get the product have been exposed to it (thanks in part to yours truly) for months. This would be a killer high-end device for T-Mobile USA, but it's got to launch immediately; the Nexus One's been out there since January, and we can pretty much guarantee that Google doesn't intend to back down with the superphone assault. We suppose it's possible that the Sholes Tablet will actually reemerge as the "Nexus Two" -- Sanjay Jha wants to offer a Nexus-branded phone, after all -- but however it comes out, it's got to happen right now. Trust us, Motorola -- you've got a golden opportunity to learn from Sony Ericsson's mistakes on this one.
Motorola XT701 finally completes Android trio in China, courtesy of Unicom
It's no surprise that the Motorola XT701 (aka Motoroi) was going to land in the hands of China Unicom with its WCDMA radio, but man, that must've been a painful two-and-a-half-month wait for Chinese Motofans. Mind you, considering earlier worries about Google's departure from China, it's better late than never, right? Like its Korean and American counterparts, the XT701 also sports Android 2.0 but boosted with WAPI support -- China's very own WiFI standard. Fork out ¥4,299 or about $630 and this phone's yours.
Motorola MOTOROI hands-on with video
The Motorola MOTOROI is definitely a stunner, but the looks are almost surpassed by just how amazing it feels, it glows with quality -- think Milestone, but somehow nicer. The display and UI on this Android 2.0 set are right on, with no lag to speak of -- in our really limited hanging-from-a-tether-being-jostled take on it -- while flipping about the OS. Sadly, like most other sets on display, the internet wasn't going anywhere for us to really take it for a spin. But, hey, the MOTOROI is apparently headed to the US in March, and we're without a doubt going to get a little more in-depth with this phone just as soon as we're able.%Gallery-85536%
Motorola MOTOROI almost certainly bound for T-Mobile (thanks, FCC!)
We needed to independently connect and verify a few dots before sounding the alarm here, but sure enough, it looks like Cell Phone Signal has unearthed the best smoking gun yet suggesting Motorola's MOTOROI -- the phone formerly known as the Sholes Tablet -- is destined for T-Mobile USA. The evidence comes in the form of an FCC filing, a Motorola device with ID IHDP56KC6, that's certified for quadband EDGE plus T-Mobile-friendly 1700 / 2100MHz HSPA humming at a peak of 10.2Mbps down and 5.6Mbps up (not too shabby) with Bluetooth, WiFi, GPS, and magnetic compass. By and large, Moto managed to paint over revealing portions of spectrum analyzer screen shots that contained the product's codename, but there are a couple they forgot to touch -- and sure enough, the part they didn't want you to see reads in part "SHOLES." So why are we so sure this is the keyboardless MOTOROI as opposed to an AWS-compliant form of the Droid / Milestone, which shared the Sholes name internally? The answer lies in the SAR report, which didn't test the phone's radiated power in both "slider up" and "slider down" configurations like we saw in the Droid's documentation -- there's just one set of figures here. That, of course, means no slider, which in turn means no QWERTY, which ultimately means MOTOROI. Now if you'll excuse us, we need to close fourteen sets of FCC filings, restart our computer, and grab a quick drink -- but in the meantime, T-Mobile folks, take comfort in knowing that your Moto rollercoaster doesn't start and end with the CLIQ. Don't suppose this would be a March release, would it?
Motorola MOTOROI demoed on video in very cozy quarters
You don't typically get this close to your phone unless you're about to put it against the side of your face, but hey, we figure a little intimate time with a device you use this much can't hurt, now, can it? Here we've got one of the first high-def hands-on experiences of Motorola's latest Android set, the MOTOROI, loaded with a Korean ROM in preparation for its upcoming launch on SK Telecom. As if on cue, the very first thing the user tests is the browser's multitouch support, revealing that performance could be an issue here -- even on the phone's OMAP3 core -- but the good news is that the presence of Blur doesn't seem to cause the home screen to stutter like we've seen on the CLIQ and DEXT. All things considered, the odd hump on the bottom right edge doesn't seem as dramatic in the reals as it does in press photos, which we'd say is a good thing -- particularly considering the latest talk that we'll see this sucker launch all over the world over the next few months. Follow the break for the full video. [Thanks, Omar]
Motorola Motoroi coming to USA in March
Well, isn't this a novelty? The well practiced skill of lusting after Korean gear from afar won't be necessary with Motorola's latest Android 2.0 handset, as we're hearing the Motoroi is headed to US shelves this March. Moto Korea head honcho Rick Wolochatiuk was on hand at the Korean launch to confirm that the new handset "will be launched in other markets around the world," with the US specifically confirmed for a March release. The Motoroi, if you recall, is a 3.7-inch capacitive touchscreen spliced atop hardware good enough to record 720p video and output it via HDMI. An 8 megapixel camera with Xenon flash should ensure you get pretty decent photos too. But what are we doing telling you about it when there are perfectly good promo videos after the break? Go get 'em!
Motorola takes Android to Korea with MOTOROI
That Korean-language version of the XT701 we saw recently is starting to make more sense now that we know exactly what was up Moto's sleeve: meet MOTOROI. The company's very first Android-powered phone for South Korea takes most (but not all) of its cues from its China Unicom-branded doppelganger, featuring a 3.7-inch WVGA display, 8 megapixel camera with 720p video capture, HDMI-out, and -- like most phones sold in and around Seoul -- support for T-DMB television tuning. Like the Droid, it's available with a home charging dock that'll turn it into a handy alarm clock; unlike the Droid, though, the MOTOROI features multitouch browsing out of the box similar to the Milestone in Europe. The oddly-named phone (is "ROI" acceptable for short?) launches early next month on SK Telecom.
